Labor groups to rally outside Carlucci’s office

A coalition of Hudson Valley labor groups is gearing up for a rally tomorrow outside of Sen. David Carlucci’s office, where they’ll demand he support a bill that would allow Rockland County to increase its sales tax rate.

The rally, organized by the Hudson Valley Area Labor Coalition Civil Service Employees Association, comes after Carlucci and Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef engaged in a very public tit-for-tat last week after Moody’s downgraded the county’s credit rating. (Carlucci, a Clarkstown Democrat, defeated the Republican Vanderhoef in the race for the senate seat in 2010.)

Vanderhoef blamed Carlucci for the downgrade, citing his unwillingness to carry a bill in the Senate that would allow Rockland to increase its sales tax by 3/8 of one percent. Carlucci fired back, saying he wouldn’t be “bullied” into supporting the tax. “It’s obvious that the county would rather blame me than be serious about getting at the real problems,” Carlucci said at the time.

The unions, apparently, disagree with Carlucci. The event has been dubbed the “Rally for Rockland,” and the flier (pictured at left) urges Carlucci to “put Rockland over politics.”